2021 – True Green (September 2021)
2021 – True Green (September 2021)
by Adrian Lunney
Most of those in today’s business world are very nearly completely sold on the need to appear ‘environmental’. There may be slight differences in nuance and in environmental definitions but, broadly speaking, there is agreement to lower carbon footprints and protect general resources. This stance is essentially no different to that of most politicians of most party colors. However, a company’s environmental performance and the actual environmental facts about its products or services may often lag well behind its environmental claims. The impolite phrase in English for such environmental advertising takes a well-worn painting metaphor and reuses it: to ‘whitewash’ – is to deliberately attempt to conceal unpleasant or incriminating facts about someone or something. To ‘greenwash’ is to mislead consumers about the environmental credentials of a product or service. These greenwash issues are now mature enough to involve appeals to advertising standards authorities, and can also reach as far as legal action in the courts.
In the world of packaging, for example, the description of a packaging product – a food service item for example – as ‘plastic free’ has been successfully challenged in a number of cases. Plastic free means what it says – entirely 100% plastic free, and most such products are simply not that. And when it comes to equipment, analysis and definitions can perhaps be more exact – but companies can still be tempted to bend the systems of measurement in order to appear ‘environmental’. The recent ‘Dieselgate’ scandal involving Volkswagen and the emissions from its engines is a clear illustration. The truth is that some amazing innovation is being achieved today in terms of environmental solutions. Sadly, these incessant ‘greenwashing’ stories can often get in the way dilute the power of the real environmental breakthroughs. The best proof of these – as always – is the testimony and experience that is supplied by the customers and users of the new products.
Last month, for example, we saw WITTMANN BATTENFELD publish some news from the UK market which touched upon the energy-saving benefits of the iconic injection molding machine – the SmartPower. Very experienced UK plastics processors used words such as ‘astounding’ or ‘unbelievable’ in relation to the energy performance of their new machines. To put this in context, imagine buying a new car and after a while realizing that instead of needing eight trips to the gas station – only one trip was needed for exactly the same performance. Such was the situation with one user – replacing a 20 year old machine with a new SmartPower, and then achieving eight times the energy efficiency.
The WITTMANN Group has always sought to design and supply the most energy efficient machines of whatever kind in the plastics processing marketplace. The company reasons correctly that what is best for business is also best for the environment. In these cases there is happy convergence of all values; business, environment and truth. True Green – it’s a quality that is well worth seeking out.
To read about the recent energy-saving benefits of the SmartPower injection molding machine – click here.